I want to cover up the screws that will be recessed/countersunk into the back of the serving tray I’m working on for the fundraiser right now.

I have predrilled the holes for the screws that go all the way through and also used a forstner bit to recess the screws. I performed a test-fit and there is only about 1/8” from the top of the screw head, to where the back of the tray begins. Does that make sense?

Basically, I want to glue a small piece of 3/8” dowel to fill the void. Since we’re talking such a small gap, there’s not much for the glue to grab onto. The screw itself is rounded, or crowned, so at the sides of the screw, where it meets the wood, there is a bit more depth.

Would glue would you use in this situation?

I want to glue the dowel on top of the screw/the sides of the hole, then cut it off flush with the back of the tray.

My other option is to try and find screws that are a little shorter with the same thread pattern and then drill the recesses a bit deeper into the tray so there is more of a tunnel for the dowel. I suppose I could also cut the screws I have a bit shorter, but I don’t have a tap and die set. I don’t want to waste a lot of time figuring this out, so if a certain epoxy, etc. would work just fine without having to modify anything, that would be fantastic.

My other option would be to simply fill the holes with epoxy or some other form of hole-filler, as I am probably going to end up putting 4-cork pads on the bottom of the tray, and the screw hole locations would be great placement. This seems like a better and quicker option since the cork is going to be the only thing you see anyway. So then, what would be the best way to fill in these holes to get them flush (or ever so slightly concave) with the back of the tray? The cork pads are the 3/4” diameter ones from Rockler. I think I’ll add a little bit of glue to the back of it, as I’m sure the self-adhesive won’t hold up all that well in the long run. This tray is being finished with Waterlox.

Even if I do go the second route of simply filling the holes and then covering over them, I’d still like to know the best solution to my first question, as I’m sure I’ll encounter this in the future.

-- Jonathan, Denver, CO "Constructive criticism is welcome and valued as it gives me new perspectives and helps me to advance as a woodworker."

12 replies so far

Just use Titebond II, or III… You could do it the other way you said, but really no need…If you’re in doubt, just countersink the holes a little deeper so you’ll get more dowel in the hole…But it should work either way…. just remember.. the deeper the hole, the more dowel, and more glue….No need for epoxy or wood filler…... I’d go the dowel and glue route…......I have before, and it works…..

One suggestion – - I prefer to cut my own plugs using a plug cutter on the drill press. This allows you to cut cross grain plugs. You can then insert them with the grain aligned with the wood around the plug. The plugs become much less noticeable.

Rick, I figured drilling the hole deeper would allow for more dowel contact with the tray, but it would involve going and finding different screws of the same thread pitch, only shorter. This might be the way to go though? I’m just really short on time right now.

Rich, My original thought was to use the plug as an actual decorative element. The holes are drilled into curly maple and I was going to use a walnut dowel to plug the hole, since there’s also walnut in the tray. Not sure that it matters though, since I may end up covering up the the plugged area with the cork feet.

I’ve got Titebond III, so I’ll just give that a shot. The plug will be under no stress whatsoever, other than the forces of gravity, so it’s not imperative that I het a super-strong bond. I just wasn’t sure if there was something that might work better in getting it to seat on the screw better, although maybe I don’t really want it to bond to the screw since that could, in theory, work itself a bit loose over time, compromising the integrity of the plug. I suppose if I glue the cork feet over it, it wouldn’t really matter anyway.

Do you think the Titebond III would also be a good choice to use on the cork feet since they already have some sort of adhesive on them? I’ve also got a little bottle of gorilla glue… maybe that would be a better choice for the feet, since it might bond a touch better with the adhesive backing that’s already in place?

-- Jonathan, Denver, CO "Constructive criticism is welcome and valued as it gives me new perspectives and helps me to advance as a woodworker."

Jonathan,Another thought I had… If you don’t have time to look for shorter screws, you might think about just
“doweling it”... If you have a doweling jig, just make the hole deep enough on both parts, use a walnut
dowel, glue it in, plus the sides, and you’re good to go…. Put some clamps on, let it dry, and smooth the
dowels off flush…. just a thought..I’ve did that before on a couple of projects when I didn’t use screws…
And on the cork feet…. It won’t hurt a thing to add a dab of glue to them…they’ll stick and help it hold..

I guess I’m confused by what you just responded with? If you’re saying to plug the other end of the hole, I need that for the screw to go up through the top of the tray to connect the handles to the top of the tray. I already have the hole recessed in the bottom at 3/8” wide, which is the width of the head of the screw as well as the dowel piece I was going to use. I was actually just going to use a Kreg walnut pockethole plug, only cut it to fit my application.

I will add a bit of glue to the cork feet though, as you suggested. I think I’ll use a drop or two of the Gorilla glue for that task.

-- Jonathan, Denver, CO "Constructive criticism is welcome and valued as it gives me new perspectives and helps me to advance as a woodworker."

Ok, Joharhan,
I see what you are saying now….. Forget everything I just told you…....lol. I had a different approach
going, but what you want to do, it probably wouldn’t work…. I had a brain cramp for a minute….

I should’ve just taken a picture before I left for work this morning. I didn’t have time to upload it to Photobucket and then pull it from there though. Sometimes a picture is worth 1000-words, and I think I’ve hit that number by now! ;-)

-- Jonathan, Denver, CO "Constructive criticism is welcome and valued as it gives me new perspectives and helps me to advance as a woodworker."

Mike, do you mean to simply leave the hole unplugged and put the cork disk over it? That would certainly be a simple and fast solution.

The only issue I can see with that is in the fact that the cork disks are only 3/32” thick, so if they get set down on something, they’d tear or puncture fairly easily since there’d be an open 3/8” hole behind them. I don’t know what the chances of that actually happening would be though?

I just like to build things right, the first time, you know what I mean? That’s just how I am.

-- Jonathan, Denver, CO "Constructive criticism is welcome and valued as it gives me new perspectives and helps me to advance as a woodworker."

Just a thought here, if these screws hold the handles on. Why not see if you can pick up some rubber plugs to cover the holes and act as feet. That way if you need to tighten the handles all you’d have to do is pop out the rubber plugs to tighten them up and push the plugs back in again. Nothing to glue quick and simple and useful all at the same time.